Guest violinist Schmidt graces an often spellbinding LSO concert

It’s the first concert of the new season. You mightexpect cobwebs. You might expect the orchestra to be like the studentsat Michigan State University: willing to play, but wishing summer hadbeen just a bit longer.

There may have been a couple of cobwebs still left in thecorners, but Lansing Symphony’s opening performance Friday night madeone thing clear: The symphony is ready for action.

Conductor and music director Timothy Muffitt’s firstconcert blended the well-known greatness of Beethoven and Saint-Saenswith a touch of the new by kicking off the program withPulitzer-winning composer Jennifer Higdon and her 2000 hit “BlueCathedral.”

Mixing the unusual with the familiar, Higdon combinesunique instrumentation with a relaxing, calming style, creating a workthat brings you in at the beginning, hooks you quickly and takes you ona wild ride before releasing you at the end. The relaxing interplay ofsoloists and orchestra laid the foundation of the cathedral andencouraged you to stay and look around. The explosive sound of thebrass fanfare in the middle filled the Wharton Center with sound, adifferent style from the start to be sure, but no less entrancing.

But the end is where the feeling of awe took hold, as oneby one select musicians throughout the orchestra began to shake Chinesereflex bells, fist-sized bells that quietly shimmered in the backgrounduntil their volume overtook the remaining traditional players. Eightmusicians played crystal goblets filled with water by running theirfingers around the rims of the glasses, creating an ethereal drone tocomplement the shimmering of the bells. The piano hit a few notes asthe piece drew to a close, adding pitch to the soothing combination ofbells and drone. When the piece ended, the audience sat mesmerized,afraid to clap and break the spell until the maestro’s arms finallyfell, releasing both the musicians and the attendees.

Higdon’s mesmerizing spell was nothing compared to theattention violinist Giora Schmidt commanded during his rendition of theBeethoven violin concerto. He stood nonchalantly on stage as theorchestra began its introduction, eyes closed, humming and swayingalong with the music. However, when he raised his violin and drew hisbow, his sound — like the bells in the Higdon piece — floated over theorchestra with crystal precision, drawing the audience in.

One craved the brief moments when Schmidt played alone onthe stage, not because the orchestra was bad — it wasn’t — but becauseSchmidt was that captivating. His deep, rich tone, heavy with vibratomakes him the only thing you want to hear, and nobody dared to breakhis enchantment between movements.

Nobody could question the soloist’s skill as he began thefinal cadenza. The flying fingers, the crisp tone, the sultry slideswould have been enough to draw anyone in. He was so charismatic thatthe listener would never know how hard the work really was. Yet heplayed with such feeling and such depth that it was impossible not tofall under his spell.

The final gem of Friday’s performancewas the Saint Saens Symphony No. 3, the so-called “organ symphony.” Theviolins had some minor intonation problems in the first movement (thecobwebs of summer slowly being brushed aside) but all discomfort wasforgotten when the organ made its first entrance in the second movement.

Although there were no pipes to be seensince the symphony used a digital organ, the air still shook with thevibrations from the organ’s chords.

Muffitt conducted the second movementbeautifully, making full use of rubato in the absolutely perfect spotsto tug the audience’s heartstrings without losing the intensity andemotion that the movement demanded.

The third movement, unfortunately, waswhere the most cobwebs appeared. One violinist, no doubt swept up inthe moment, entered too early in an involuntary solo before the rest ofthe section joined him, but the mistake could not break the audience’sstrict attention as the movement proceeded into the booming finale.

This is what you came to hear: the sound of an organunleashed. For all the orchestra’s power, it was no match for theorgan’s roar. But after the rousing beginning, a familiar theme washedover the hall, a theme known to anyone with a fondness for the littlesheep-pig in the movie “Babe.” It was easy to see why this powerhousewas left for last on the program — absolutely nothing could follow it.The finale built you up and left you wanting more and the organ’s finalnotes had barely begun to clear the air before the audience shot to itsfeet in applause.

If you had any doubts, erase them. Muffit has done it again. The symphony has returned.